Android Beta Track Workflow Skill

Android Beta Track Workflow

Generates GitHub Actions workflow for manual deployment to Play Store beta (closed testing) track.

Prerequisites

Service account setup complete
Package name known

Inputs

| Input | Required | Default | Description | |-------|----------|---------|-------------| | package_name | Yes | - | App package name |

Process

Step 1: Verify Fastlane Setup

Ensure Fastlane is configured:

bundle exec fastlane lanes

Expected output should show deploy_beta lane.

Step 2: Generate Beta Testing Workflow

Create .github/workflows/deploy-beta.yml:

name: Deploy to Beta Testing

on:
  workflow_dispatch:
    inputs:
      track:
        description: 'Beta track'
        required: true
        type: choice
        options:
          - alpha
          - beta
        default: 'beta'
      rollout_type:
        description: 'Rollout type'
        required: true
        type: choice
        options:
          - full
          - staged
        default: 'full'
      rollout_percentage:
        description: 'Rollout percentage (only for staged: 0.05-1.0, e.g., 0.5 for 50%)'
        required: false
        default: '0.5'

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout code
        uses: actions/checkout@11bd71901bbe5b1630ceea73d27597364c9af683  # v4.2.2

      - name: Set up JDK 17
        uses: actions/setup-java@c5195efecf7bdfc987ee8bae7a71cb8b11521c00  # v4.7.0
        with:
          java-version: '17'
          distribution: 'temurin'

      - name: Setup Gradle cache
        uses: actions/cache@1bd1e32a3bdc45362d1e726936510720a7c30a57  # v4.2.0
        with:
          path: |
            ~/.gradle/caches
            ~/.gradle/wrapper
            .gradle/configuration-cache
          key: gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ hashFiles('**/*.gradle*', '**/gradle-wrapper.properties') }}
          restore-keys: |
            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-

      - name: Setup Gradle
        uses: gradle/actions/setup-gradle@v4

      - name: Run unit tests
        run: ./gradlew test

      - name: Upload test reports
        if: always()
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@ea165f8d65b6e75b540449e92b4886f43607fa02  # v4.6.0
        with:
          name: test-reports
          path: app/build/reports/tests/
          retention-days: 7

  deploy:
    needs: test
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
      - name: Checkout code
        uses: actions/checkout@11bd71901bbe5b1630ceea73d27597364c9af683  # v4.2.2

      - name: Set up JDK 17
        uses: actions/setup-java@c5195efecf7bdfc987ee8bae7a71cb8b11521c00  # v4.7.0
        with:
          java-version: '17'
          distribution: 'temurin'

      - name: Setup Gradle cache
        uses: actions/cache@1bd1e32a3bdc45362d1e726936510720a7c30a57  # v4.2.0
        with:
          path: |
            ~/.gradle/caches
            ~/.gradle/wrapper
            .gradle/configuration-cache
          key: gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ hashFiles('**/*.gradle*', '**/gradle-wrapper.properties') }}
          restore-keys: |
            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-

      - name: Setup Gradle
        uses: gradle/actions/setup-gradle@v4

      - name: Decode keystore
        run: |
          echo "${{ secrets.SIGNING_KEY_STORE_BASE64 }}" | base64 -d > app/release.jks
        env:
          SIGNING_KEY_STORE_BASE64: ${{ secrets.SIGNING_KEY_STORE_BASE64 }}

      - name: Build Release Bundle
        run: ./gradlew bundleRelease
        env:
          SIGNING_KEY_STORE_PATH: ${{ github.workspace }}/app/release.jks
          SIGNING_STORE_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.SIGNING_STORE_PASSWORD }}
          SIGNING_KEY_ALIAS: ${{ secrets.SIGNING_KEY_ALIAS }}
          SIGNING_KEY_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.SIGNING_KEY_PASSWORD }}

      - name: Set up Ruby
        uses: ruby/setup-ruby@v1
        with:
          ruby-version: '3.2'
          bundler-cache: true

      - name: Create Service Account File
        run: echo "${{ secrets.SERVICE_ACCOUNT_JSON_PLAINTEXT }}" > service-account.json

      - name: Deploy with Fastlane (Full Rollout)
        if: github.event.inputs.rollout_type == 'full'
        env:
          SIGNING_KEY_STORE_PATH: ${{ github.workspace }}/app/release.jks
          SIGNING_STORE_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.SIGNING_STORE_PASSWORD }}
          SIGNING_KEY_ALIAS: ${{ secrets.SIGNING_KEY_ALIAS }}
          SIGNING_KEY_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.SIGNING_KEY_PASSWORD }}
          PLAY_STORE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT: service-account.json
        run: bundle exec fastlane deploy_beta

      - name: Deploy with Fastlane (Staged Rollout)
        if: github.event.inputs.rollout_type == 'staged'
        env:
          SIGNING_KEY_STORE_PATH: ${{ github.workspace }}/app/release.jks
          SIGNING_STORE_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.SIGNING_STORE_PASSWORD }}
          SIGNING_KEY_ALIAS: ${{ secrets.SIGNING_KEY_ALIAS }}
          SIGNING_KEY_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.SIGNING_KEY_PASSWORD }}
          PLAY_STORE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT: service-account.json
        run: bundle exec fastlane deploy_beta rollout:${{ github.event.inputs.rollout_percentage }}

      - name: Cleanup Service Account
        if: always()
        run: rm -f service-account.json

      - name: Clean up keystore
        if: always()
        run: rm -f app/release.jks

      - name: Upload AAB artifact
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@ea165f8d65b6e75b540449e92b4886f43607fa02  # v4.6.0
        with:
          name: beta-aab-${{ github.event.inputs.track }}
          path: app/build/outputs/bundle/release/app-release.aab
          retention-days: 90

      - name: Upload mapping file
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@ea165f8d65b6e75b540449e92b4886f43607fa02  # v4.6.0
        with:
          name: mapping-file-${{ github.event.inputs.track }}
          path: app/build/outputs/mapping/release/mapping.txt
          retention-days: 90

      - name: Summary
        run: |
          echo "✅ Deployed to ${{ github.event.inputs.track }} track"
          if [ "${{ github.event.inputs.rollout_type }}" = "staged" ]; then
            echo "📊 Rollout: Staged (${{ github.event.inputs.rollout_percentage }})"
          else
            echo "📊 Rollout: Full (100%)"
          fi
          echo ""
          echo "🔗 View in Play Console:"
          echo "   https://play.google.com/console/developers/tracks/${{ github.event.inputs.track }}"

Key features:

✅ Uses Fastlane for deployment
✅ Supports full and staged rollouts
✅ Pinned all actions to commit SHAs
✅ Test job runs before deployment

Step 2: Update Workflows README

Add to .github/workflows/README.md:

### deploy-beta.yml
- **Trigger:** Manual only
- **Tracks:** Alpha or Beta (closed testing)
- **Approval:** None (manual trigger is the approval)
- **Rollout:** Configurable (5-100%)

## Usage - Beta Deployment

**Deploy to Beta:**
1. Go to: Actions → Deploy to Beta Testing
2. Click "Run workflow"
3. Select track: "beta"
4. Set rollout: "100" (or lower for staged beta)
5. Click "Run workflow"

**Deploy to Alpha (for smaller group):**
1. Same as above, but select track: "alpha"
2. Useful for pre-beta testing with smaller group

## Beta Testing Best Practices

1. **Use Alpha for Pre-Beta**
   - Test with small group (10-50 users)
   - Catch major issues before wider beta
   - Quick feedback loop

2. **Beta for Broader Testing**
   - Larger group (100-1000+ users)
   - Diverse devices and OS versions
   - Real-world usage patterns
   - 1-2 week minimum period

3. **Staged Beta Rollout**
   - Start at 50% for critical updates
   - Monitor for 24 hours
   - Increase to 100% if stable
   - Can halt and fix if issues found

4. **Collect Feedback**
   - Monitor crash reports in Play Console
   - Review user feedback
   - Check ANR (Application Not Responding) rate
   - Address critical issues before production

Verification

MANDATORY: Validate workflow:

# Validate YAML syntax
yamllint .github/workflows/deploy-beta.yml

# Verify package name
grep "packageName:" .github/workflows/deploy-beta.yml

Expected output:

No YAML syntax errors
Package name matches your app

Outputs

| Output | Location | Description | |--------|----------|-------------| | Workflow | .github/workflows/deploy-beta.yml | Beta track deployment |

Troubleshooting

"Track not found"

Cause: Beta track not created in Play Console Fix: Create closed testing track in Play Console first

"Invalid rollout percentage"

Cause: Value not between 5-100 Fix: Use valid percentage (5, 10, 20, 50, 100)

Completion Criteria

[ ] .github/workflows/deploy-beta.yml exists
[ ] YAML syntax is valid
[ ] Package name is correct
[ ] Workflow supports both alpha and beta tracks

Agent Skills: Android Beta Track Workflow

Install this agent skill to your local

Skill Files